RDJ and all his friends

At the premiere of The Soloist last night with co-star Jamie Foxx, not the most popular dude these days. RDJ on the other hand is everybody’s favourite, and he turned up the charm last night with his wife, and Catherine Keener by his side, and Halle Berry showed up too, in flipflops and her body poured into a striped dress with curves and an ass and when I see her I’m always reminded of the time Ewan McGregor was caught mid-interview lasciviously admiring her and he was mildly criticised for it but really, can you blame him?

The Soloist hits theatres on Friday, will likely not do much at the box office. Too much of a downer. Which is a shame because as noted in this article: The Soloist (provides) a sobering education on the state of homelessness and mental illness in America and the lack of coverage and medical attention for those suffering. Too frequently, the homeless who are mentally ill fall through huge cracks in our health and housing systems, forcing them to live alone in horrible conditions, in largely forgotten worlds full of paranoia.

For those of us who work to help prevent and end homelessness, The Soloist is an all-too-real reminder of the daily obstacles people who are homeless and their advocates face. Sometimes the cracks in the system become gaping holes.

Not just in America, but in Canada too.

At Covenant House Vancouver we see this all the time – kids living on the street coping with mental health issues never properly treated, often drug-addicted, and facing the challenges of dual diagnosis.

But Spring has arrived. Shrek driving fast is infinitely more entertaining.

Though most critics seem to agree that Fox and RDJ both deliver on their performances, The Soloist has received mixed reviews. The New Yorker and Entertainment Weekly recommend it, Variety is less enthusiastic.